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| Distance Learning Emerges as Practical Tool for Corrections Training Part II |
| By Corrections Connection Staff |
| Published: 07/01/2002 |
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Fiscal issues have been both a boon and a bust for corrections agencies trying to bring their training into the 21st century. For those who have already begun to try new ways to educate and train their employees using distance learning, their efforts will pay off in savings. But for others, who have not had the dollars to invest in technology infrastructure, distance learning will be on hold. 'I think everyone is interested but despite the fact that there is a cost savings, they are not going to have the money to invest in the equipment if they haven't already,' said Reginald Wilkinson, Director of the Ohio Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 'I think technology is not going to end up as high a priority as it should be. But it's not corrections' fault.' The fiscal decisions facing corrections agencies and ultimately state officials have forced administrators to make the decision to put money into the 'must-haves,' such as security, rather than the wish list items. Some who follow the distance learning industry closely say that the longer agencies wait to become a part of the technological wave of training and education, the more they stand to lose. 'Every year you miss [utilizing distance learning], you miss a professional development year to move staff development along,' said Dr. Lloyd Korhonen, Director of the Center for Distance Learning Research at Texas A&M University. 'It's like waiting to join the next graduating class in high school [which prolongs continuing your education].' Some of the programs that are developing, such as the NIC's satellite programming and the distance learning programming available through the Corrections Learning Network, have enabled departments to take steps toward training staff in a new format. Other agencies have run with the distance learning idea on their own and are developing innovative training programs in-house that will bring their staff in-service and academy training into the new millennium. Innovators in Corrections Distance Learning With numerous distance learning options available to corrections practitioners, the only question is which one they can utilize most effectively. 'In the field of corrections, much like other fields, there is a tremendous amount of 'checking what the other guy is doing' through national conferences and regional organizations and a fair amount of 'copycatting',' says Harold Jenkins, Education Liaison for the Maryland Division of Corrections. '[Agencies need to choose distance learning methods] based on what they can afford and what's available to them.' Several agencies will be experimenting in the coming months with web-based training for certain kinds of staff courses. Pennsylvania, for example, plans to transition from CD-ROM training to the web as soon as security issues can be worked out. Pennsylvania 'Eventually what will happen is there will be a secure site for staff training. They will be able to access that URL from any interconnected computer,' said William Sprenkle, Training Director for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Sprenkle said staff will eventually be able to access the courses chosen for this format from their home computers through an access code. A database will maintain the staff member's records and will automatically update the training records after a course training is completed. Initially, courses that are mandated and geared more toward 'information-sharing' rather than 'classroom-sharing' will be molded to fit the computer-based format. Starting in July, these courses will be put onto CD-ROMs, then moved to a secure website later on. 'They will be courses that lend [themselves] to online. They will be text based with some graphic details. The initial ones will not have audio; but they will down the road,' Sprenkle said. In order to move the courses to the web, the DOC decided to train curriculum development specialists about the requirements for web-based courses so they could adapt the current course curriculum. Sprenkle said a software vendor working with the DOC provides the training to the curriculum development specialists. To facilitate the use of computer-based training by staff, the DOC has built classrooms with computers either inside facilities or just outside the facility perimeter. 'I do know we are going to be able to have a secure URL and it will be password driven and will have no links to any other Internet sites -- to keep students focused,' Sprenkle said. Simultaneously, the DOC is also beginning videoconference training for staff in October. No courses have been chosen yet for this platform, but regional videoconferencing centers have been set up for staff to utilize. So why go this route? Sprenkle said there are a number of reasons why his agency chose to alter the way staff are trained, costs are among them. 'We have been hearing so much about how computer-based training can provide a better vehicle for retention and student satisfaction. We also have such a demand for more and more training [that] our classrooms can't keep up with it,' he said. 'Computer-based training also provides more scheduling and flexibility. It saves significant money because we can save on instructors.' New York City The New York City Department of Probation also believes that distance learning can play an important role in the training of staff. With support from the commissioner, the training department has been able to plan for a web platform for training in addition to its traditional classroom instruction. 'I am a great believer in the concept of blended learning - e-learning in combination with classroom learning. [The challenge is] figuring out the skills and competencies that are best suited in the classroom and what are best to the desktop,' said Frank Domurad, Director of Staff and Organizational Development for the NYC Department of Probation. 'No one really knows how much needs to be face-to-face.' Domurad said that large corporations, such as airlines, are able to utilize simulation training for their employees, which broadens the type of training that can fit in this format, but government agencies don't have that ability. 'They have oodles of money and it's not realistic for a government agency with a tight budget,' he said. Nevertheless, most knowledge-based learning can be brought to the desktop in corrections, Domurad said, but it must be interactive and challenging for the student. 'There's nothing more boring than reading a printed page online and calling that distance learning. You've actually done no learning at all,' he said. The training department staff is approaching distance learning in a bold way, with each staff member learning web design so that the agency can have its own web training platform and save on the initial start-up costs. 'We want to have control of our web pages. Then we want to try to design and author some e-learning courses,' said Domurad, who added that staff are using a training software package to learn how to insert quizzes and other elements in the web courses. This approach can make for a lot of work when the training department is small, like Domurad's, with six employees. But, he said, the advantages are also important. 'Whatever we do, we get to own it and from our perspective, that's very important,' he said. Oklahoma Like New York City, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections also develops computer-based content in-house. Since February of 2001, the department has created 13 courses both online and via CD-ROM on topics ranging from computer ergonomics to sexual harassment. 'I cannot put a price tag on the value of having someone to create content for us,' says Penny Frazier, Administrator of Training for the DOC. 'With budget cuts across the agency, I am looking at ways to continue to provide valuable training and reduce costs - one method to do this is use CD-ROM or online training.' She adds that instead of going with a number of companies in the market whose costs are prohibitive, she can utilize resources the department already has. Furthermore, with nothing currently on the market that is corrections-specific, she said, spending thousands of dollars on one course does not really compare to something the department can produce in two weeks for much less. 'What we spend now and in fiscal year 2003, will consist of some equipment to make the content better at a minimal cost, and for our employee who develops them, to take two courses for about $150 each at a community college,' says Frazier. This lone employee from the department can also do something most texts cannot - present material in a creative manner. For Frazier, the computer provides the ability to present the department's policies and procedures with a fresh look as opposed to a text or photocopies. Currently used only for in-service training as an immediate and convenient way to learn skills when needed, distance learning will eventually expand to pre-service learning as well. 'I'm hoping to shorten pre-service training, so we can save the agency money by giving [new hires] knowledge beforehand, so they don't fall behind,' says Frazier. She adds that because it may be three to four months before an employee begins pre-service training, they sometimes learn from the 'school of hard knocks' on the job. While this is equally important to a staff member's prison education, if distance learning can be offered to this group, they can build upon what they are learning on-the-job instead of waiting for class space to open up. 'It gets the employee back to their facility where they are needed, with the skills to do the job,' says Frazier. Washington State For the Washington Department of Corrections, distance learning means a combination of web-based training complemented by the use of NIC satellite broadcasts. Web-based 'job aids,' which help answer questions, provide examples and other information on department policies and procedures, are one way the DOC utilizes the Internet for training. Staff members can go to the department's website, log on and go to the specific policy they have questions on to get a better understanding of it. Dan Pacholke, Performance System Administrator in the DOC's Office of Correctional Operations says that while this system is currently in use for only a few policies, the department is looking into expanding it further. 'We are finding ways to organize information in a web-based format, so employees can access it easily,' he says. 'With the job aids, if a person has to ask a specific question, with a keystroke, they can get examples and answers. This isn't exactly 'distance learning,' but we are characterizing information, so [staff] don't have to seek out an answer through [one or more] people or a [manual].' For department staff outside of officers, the DOC's Information Technology office has made courses in certain computer programs available online. From Microsoft Word and Excel to Java, employees can pay an annual or per-course fee to utilize web-based instruction on these programs. NIC broadcasts also mean a cost savings because they allow the department to train large groups of staff in topics of national prominence. 'It would be difficult to get a large group of staff to a conference on [these topics] [that] feature a panel of experts. Through satellite, we can literally have hundreds of people involved with no travel, but more importantly with access to tap the knowledge available,' Pacholke said. This allows for not only institutional staff to participate, but also probation and parole officers to benefit from the programming. He adds that while NIC broadcasts provide training for greater numbers of employees and saves travel expenses, it still requires institutional staff to come and watch, which means other employees have to cover their duties. This impact on shift staffing is the one disadvantage he sees to distance learning in the state. 'For other staff, [attendance to satellite broadcasts] is effective because there is more flexibility [in their jobs], but for correctional officers, sergeants, lieutenants and others, these are posts that, no matter what, have to be filled [when they attend],' says Pacholke. Despite this obstacle, he still realizes how valuable information is to not only the field of corrections, but also to individual departments. 'Anytime you can have a knowledgeable workforce and provide information where they stay contemporary on the latest trends, that's beneficial,' he says. 'In terms of [satellite broadcasts], you've quadrupled [the number of staff learning] and expanded the ability to get that information.' Michigan The Michigan Department of Corrections provides distance training for its entire staff through various avenues including NIC videoconferences as well as Internet and computer-based training. 'Currently, Department of Corrections staff members have access to over 40 programs delivered through the Internet at no direct cost to our department,' says Matt Davis, Public Information Officer for the Michigan Department of Corrections. The Michigan Department of Civil Service obtained a master contract with a vendor so that it can access state civil service programming that is available to all state agencies at no cost. The courses range from applying leadership basics to preventing sexual harassment for leaders as well as programming about avoiding burnout and managing stress. According to Davis, the civil service department estimates that the overall cost is $5 per state employee. With the satellite programming, the DOC was able to access the equipment at no charge through the federal grants provided to Corrections Learning Network users. This bundling of distance learning has allowed the DOC to provide staff opportunities to access knowledge-based courses in new ways at a cheaper cost to the department. 'Without question, we are able to provide a greater variety of training opportunities for all staff free or at a nominal expense. Distance learning also eliminates lodging, meal and travel expenses,' said Davis. Whatever costs there are to the department using distance learning, they usually involve creating infrastructure for the training program or acquiring better tools. Maryland Expanding on a practice currently in place with inmates, the Maryland DOC is now utilizing college-level courses via videotape with employees to aid them on the road to continuing their education. 'Most [staff] say to me, 'I couldn't get going [in furthering my education],'' says Jenkins. 'For those we'd like to upgrade educational opportunities, this is a good way to get started.' The program, already a success in the western part of the state, is expanding to the Jessup area where half a dozen institutions are located. One general psychology course will be offered via videotape and facilitated every other week by an instructor to any interested DOC employees from the area. Because it is located in one prison's boardroom, the staff can finish their shift and go right to school. By providing staff with a convenient way to gain college credits, Jenkins says, the department can play a modest role in promoting the continuing education of its employees. In turn, this can lead to their upward mobility in the department. 'The idea is [for staff] not to get their degree [through distance learning], the idea is to provide the opportunity to give them a start to go to school,' he says. Employees pay their own way for the courses, with the fee covering the instructor's salary. Therefore, says Jenkins, if 12 employees sign up, it would be about $100 each to take a three-credit class, but if more join in, the cost goes down. With books donated by the prisons, the only other cost employees incur is a one-time fee from the American Council on Education (ACE), who offer the courses and keep a running transcript of what courses staff have taken and completed. They provide these records to a number of colleges nationwide who accept the credits upon the student's enrollment. The choice of videotape as a distance learning method is also cost effective for the department, says Jenkins. Rather than developing, creating and maintaining online content, the department is using mechanisms already in place. 'This is extremely low-budget,' he says. 'We paid a fee to reproduce the tapes, but every school [in the prisons] has a VCR and monitor and the text can be reused [every session]. We can offer a three-credit course for about $1,000 versus doing it online for quite a bit more and [being concerned with] security issues.' Whether it is utilizing videotapes or investing initially in computer-based training, the cost savings realized by many agencies using distance learning is a reality that cannot be ignored. 'We should be thinking more about efficiency and cost savings and that is happening across the board,' said Wilkinson, whose own agency have saved between $200,000 to $300,000 per year using video conferencing. 'Some people already have the infrastructure and some people are building on their systems, for some it isn't on their radar screens yet. These things take time.' Looking at the Future of Distance Learning With more states recognizing the value of distance learning comes the realization that the more it is used, the more cost-efficient it becomes. For example, in order to utilize satellites that sit dormant when not used for live broadcasts or inmate education, the NIC will offer regularly scheduled programming beginning July 1st to CLN customers. While maximizing satellite time, the move also means access to past broadcasts, which practitioners can currently request via videotape from the NIC's Information Center. While increasing the use of satellite and computer-based learning for corrections professionals, Ed Wolahan of the NIC says that this is, and will remain, a complement to live training, not a replacement. 'This will continue to be another alternative to training [in the classroom], but I don't see it all going this way,' says. 'We still need that eyeball-to-eyeball training and partnering with local agencies to go into institutions.' That sentiment is echoed by Korhonen, who says that while there is no better way to think about training correctional staff than with distance learning, there should still be 'offline' work as well. 'It shouldn't all be online, even if it's just staff working with each other,' he says. '[Having content] online is nice because you get a great deal of knowledge quickly, but knowledge without [the ability] to bounce off others or simulation doesn't give the application side [of learning].' As far as what the future holds for distance learning, Korhonen says it will revolve around three methods. The first is web or online models, because they are easily available, a lot of agencies are doing it and you can use it on your own time at home or on-site. Secondly, videoconferencing will be utilized because it has interaction with people and provides synchronicity. And third, agencies will utilize streaming capabilities because it provides the opportunity to send out a great deal of information through audio and video, to supplement learning or be the instruction itself. For corrections, he recommends that if the resources are available, agencies should already be looking at starting distance learning programs if they haven't already. The same goes for developing content specifically for the field. 'Right now there is no 'Phoenix University' for corrections,' he says. '[Agencies] should get together and shop for what they need - [this way], they are much more likely to get what they want. This partnership could include associations and current content providers. You either have to start doing it or someone else will [develop curriculum without them].' Further motivation for agencies to move towards this technology-driven training lies in the great dissatisfaction in the prison system staff members have with the opportunities provided to inmates. 'Staff see someone who is incarcerated and after three years, they walk out with a degree,' says Korhonen. 'They think 'I've been working here, why can't I do that.'' By utilizing the same mechanisms already in place to educate inmates, agencies can take steps to show employees their support in developing themselves and their skills both on and off the job. 'It's a tough job, so the more [agencies] can add to the positive side of [employee] growth and activity, the better they will be,' he says. According to Wilkinson, when budgets loosen up for corrections agencies, distance learning will become more accessible to all corrections staff. 'I think people know what it is. It's just a matter of having an infrastructure that will allow a system to do it,' he said. Resources Matt Davis, Michigan Department of Corrections Public Information Officer, call (517) 373-6391 or email davismg@michigan.gov. Frank Domurad, Director of Staff and Organizational Development, New York City Department of Probation, (212) 361-8868 Penny Frazier, Training Administrator, Oklahoma Department of Corrections, (404) 524-4218 Harold Jenkins, Education Liaison, Maryland Division of Corrections, (410) 585-3346 Dr. Lloyd Korhonen, Director, The Center for Distance Learning Research, l-korhonen@tamu.edu For more information on The Center for Distance Learning Research, go to www.cdlr.tamu.edu. Dan Pacholke, Performance System Administrator, Office of Correctional Operations, Washington Department of Corrections, (360) 753-1502 William Sprenkle, Training Director, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, (717) 367-9070 Ed Wolahan, Distance Learning Administrator, National Institute of Corrections, (800) 995-6429 x131, ewolahan@bop.gov. For more information on NIC distance learning programs, go to: www.nicic.org. *Michelle Gaseau, Managing Editor, Keith Martin, Assistant Editor, and Victoria Klarfeld, Reporter |
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